KEEP UP THE GUN FIGHT

Virginians are having a remarkable effect in this session of the General Assembly. After losing gun control fights to the National Rifle Association for years, this time the public is winning. But it's too soon to celebrate. If public sentiment is to prevail, Virginians must fight even harder.

So far, overwhelming support for a reasonable gun control bill introduced by Sen. Moody Stallings of Virginia Beach has pushed the NRA from open contempt for the proposal to reluctant agreement with at least one part of it.

Three weeks ago, the NRA called the bill "crackpot." By Monday, in a House committee hearing, the gun lobby's Virginia spokesman was willing to publicly endorse one of the key elements of Stallings' bill - the requirement that ties the right to purchase some guns to the ability to acquire a clean background check from police.

But the public should be wary of this supposed conversion: The NRA hasn't changed its opposition; it has just become cagier in expressing it. In an "urgent" mailing to its 80,000 state members, the lobby says, "Your immediate help is needed to defeat this dangerous bill." There's no missing that message: defeat, not modify, not amend.

Unfortunately, that kind of wacko thinking still carries some weight in the General Assembly. Some members would like to kill or at least gut Stallings' bill, despite polls, mail and telephone calls heavily in its favor.

So don't be fooled: The NRA is still gunning for Stallings' bill. And despite its passage in the Senate, not even overwhelming public support could guarantee a good reception in the House. Look at where the bill was assigned: the Militia and Police committee, where opposition is the strongest in the House. After Monday's hearing, a none-too-friendly subcommittee was named to come up with a compromise bill.

There's nothing wrong with true compromise, but here the word could end up meaning watered down to nothing. It is important that does not happen. It is important that Virginia end up with a law that imposes some controls on gun buyers. Right now, the Old Dominion is known as a major gun supplier for the East Coast because states around us have strong laws while this state has virtually none.

Stallings' bill is a common sense, reasonable measure aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. It doesn't need major changes. It needs to be passed into law. Tell your legislators that and keep telling them until they get the message: Pass this bill, not a do-nothing version that placates the NRA.